“In a letter dated May 18, 2011, inviting the 49 other Governors to join him, Governor Rick Perry cited Joel 2 as the answer for the challenges facing America. We are to gather across racial, ethnic, denominational and other differences to represent the full Body of Christ on behalf of our land. A National Solemn Assembly called The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis, will be held on Saturday, August 6, 2011, in Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. There will be no political agenda, no merchandise sold, no ministries promoted, no literature distributed and no offering taken. Registration is free. This event will not promote any denomination or organization. It will simply be a gathering of those who love God and love America in response to this invitation to join together and ask for His mercy, guidance, wisdom and provision. The website, www.theresponseusa.com, will give you critical information and help you see how this moment is building across the USA and among national church leaders.”
Please pray for the USA at this crucial time in the nation’s history and for the success of this wonderful attempt to bring Christ’s people together with many political leaders to pray for God’s deliverance of the nation.
“Five years after it abolished Hinduism as the state religion, Nepal is working on a new criminal code forbidding a person from one faith to “convert a person or abet him to change his religion.” Article 160 of the proposed code also says no one will be allowed to do anything or behave in any way that could case a person from a caste, community or creed to lose faith in his/her traditional religion or convert to a different religion. Offenders could be imprisoned for a maximum of five years and fined up to 50,000 Nepalese rupees (US$685).
Nepal’s Christian community, which has no representation in the Council of Ministers or in parliament, was caught unaware of the new criminal law in the offing. “We have not heard of this,” and Lokmani Dhakal, general secretary of Nepal Christian Society. “We need to look into this.” Nepal last weekend failed to complete a new constitution providing for religious freedom, thanks to a protracted battle for political power. Once the only Hindu monarchy in the world and now the youngest federal republic, Nepal was to have unveiled the document by midnight on Saturday (May 28).”
From PrayerFocus Hinduism: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The head of the EPA (The Algerian Protestant Church Association) has received the following order from the High Police commissioner in his town: “On May 5th, 2011, a decision has been made according to article number 566/11 to close down throughout the country all the Christian worship places, which are not designated for religious purposes.
Please pray:
1. May the Lord give wisdom to the Church leaders how to deal with this new wave of persecution. The vast majority of the churches are affected by the above order.
2. For the Lord to take away the spirit of fear and give His Spirit of power, love, and self control, to stand firm against the threats of the authorities. (2 Timothy 1:7)
3. For the abolishment of the March 2006 ordinances.
4. The Church will be granted the full license to be able to meet and worship freely. (The number of believers in Algeria today is estimated to be around 100,000 believers.)
5. May our Lord Jesus manifest powerfully His salvation and glorious victory against the evil one in the above situation. Amen!
Reuters News Agency reported that Syrian security forces shot dead at least 34 demonstrators in the Syrian town of Hama on Friday, as once again protesters were mown down as they left Friday’s noon prayers. The revolt against President Bashar al-Assad is in its 11th week and security forces, including snipers, fired into a crowd of thousands in an attempt to bring it to an end. “The firing began from rooftops on the demonstrators. I saw scores of people falling in Assi square and the streets and alleyways branching out. Blood was everywhere,” a witness who gave his name as Omar told Reuters from Hama. “It looked to me as if hundreds of people have been injured, but I was in a panic and wanted to find cover.” Funerals for the martyrs have already started, “he said. History may be repeating itself in Hama, where Bashar’s father, Hafez, slaughtered at least 30,000 of his own citizens in 1982, in order to suppress a revolt…
According to human rights groups, security forces have killed more than 1,000 civilians since March. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who originally called Assad a “reformer” has said that his legitimacy “had nearly run out.” Although the United States has joined NATO operations in Libya aimed at toppling Qaddafi, who has also killed his own citizens, no similar actions have been announced against Assad. The EU, Australia, and the United States have passed sanctions against the regime. Assad has responded to this continuing revolt against his rule with violence accompanied by promises of reforms, which protestors have dismissed as irrelevant. The media blackout instituted by the regime has made a mockery of those promises, and news is dependent on activists who manage to communicate via the web. A 13-year-old boy, Hamza al-Khatib, who is said to have been tortured to death, has become the symbol of the human rights outrages perpetrated by Assad’s forces. His picture is seen at protests.
From: “Anneli Dietz” Subject: Syria Bloody Friday in Hama, Syria as History Repeats Itself by INN Staff
Please pray for a just government to arise that will serve the people and that the current oppression by Assad’s administration will cease.
“A major spike in the harassment and arrest of Iranian Christians in recent months is revealing just how nervous the Islamic republic is about the prodigious success of house churches, say Iranian Christian leaders. At least 202 Christians in 24 cities faced "arbitrary" arrest between June 2010 and January 2011, according to Elam Ministries. Elam, run by Iranian expatriates, counted 80 arrests over 2008 and 2009 combined. "[Iran] has been substantially more public in its oppression of Christianity," said Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs. "Announcing it on the news, having the mullahs talk about it in their Friday sermons—it's just become a lot more out in the open." "Persecution has escalated to an unprecedented level," said Abe Ghaffari, executive director of Iranian Christians International.
While Iran's historic Armenian and Assyrian congregations usually enjoy freedom of worship, Farsi-speaking house churches hosting converts from Islam work under significant threat. … The government is concerned, observers say, because more and more Iranian Muslims are converting to Christianity. The house church movement is booming, with converts estimated in the hundreds of thousands. Evangelists are distributing large numbers of New Testaments, and satellite television continually beams Christian programs into the country. "The government always used to deny that Iranians become Christians," said Elam's David Yeghnazar, but now the church has become too strong to ignore. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei declared the house church network "enemies of Iran" in an October speech, which analysts labeled a rare public acknowledgement of the movement. …
Resentment against the reigning regime is spreading and deepening—especially since the disputed 2009 national elections. … "The Iranian public basically doesn't trust the government anymore," Ghaffari said, "and they don't trust the Muslim clergy anymore, because they have seen a lot of double standards and hypocrisy." Converts in smaller communities still risk persecution from their own families, but tolerance is growing in urban areas and among the younger generation. "In fact," said Dibaj, "in places like Tehran and more educated communities, if you say, 'I have become a Christian,' they will respect you because of your courage and your independent thinking." If anything, government persecution has made Christianity much more attractive, said Yegh-nazar. "When government officials are on television telling people not to read the Scriptures, that generates more interest in the Scriptures."
Excerpted from Christianity Today, June 6, 2011.
Lord, let your Gospel continue to speed on and triumph throughout Iranian society! Please strengthen and protect your workers who are bearing the brunt of the opposition by political and religious authorities.
Phone hacking: David Cameron bows to calls for public inquiries
Labour MP Chris Bryant successfully pushed for an emergency commons debate into calling for a public inquiry into phone hacking. The Speaker John Bercow granted the rare emergency debate which resulted in David Cameron agreeing to hold a full public enquiry into allegations against journalists hacking phones and subsequent police investigations. Pressed by Ed Miliband to conduct the full public inquiry, the Prime Minister agreed that it was important that the inquiries should be ‘public, independent, and have public confidence’ adding that the inquiries could not be started immediately because of the major police investigation currently under way, though it may be possible to start some of the work earlier. He said the two vital areas were why the original police inquiry failed to ‘get to the bottom of what happened’, and the behaviour, practices and ethics of journalists and media organisations.
Pray: for all that is hidden to be revealed. (Ps.45:4)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/06/david-cameron-phone-hacking-inquiry
Barnabas Fund seeks to boost teaching Christianity in schools
An Ofsted report last year stated the quality of RE lessons at many primary schools was ‘not good enough’ and ‘only six out of 10 schools are ‘satisfactory’ in teaching RE'. In response to this Barnabas Fund has launched a new resource pack to enrich teaching of Christianity within Religious Education called, ‘Assisting Christianity Teaching in Schools (ACTS)' and they are asking Christians to donate packs to local schools. Ofsted said ‘In many cases, the study of Jesus focused on an unsystematic collection of information about His life, with limited reference to His theological significance within the faith.’ The pack aimed at ages 7 to 11 covering basic Christianity, Bible reference, character development, the life and teachings of Jesus through children’s fiction and biographies, posters, maps, Bible guides, fact books, Bible story books, time lines, animated DVDs, activity workbooks and presentation slides.
Pray: that many churches will be able to step into this opportunity to meet educationl need. (Ps.34:11)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/barnabas.fund.seeks.to.boost.teaching.of.christianity.in.schools/28250.htm
Lord Sacks comments on equality laws
Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks has warned, ‘New equality laws are forcing religious people to flee the country because they are being denied the freedom to live in accordance with their beliefs’ The Orthodox Jewish leader claimed that anti-discrimination policies had fuelled an ‘erosion of religious liberty’ in Britain that was leading to a new ‘Mayflower’, a reference to the flight of the persecuted Pilgrim Fathers to America in the 17th century. His comments follow growing alarm from leading religious figures over the increasing influence of equality laws. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has called on the Prime Minister to review equality legislation amid concerns that religious freedoms and Britain’s Christian heritage are under threat. Speaking to the House of Commons public administration select committee, Lord Sacks also said, ‘I share a real concern that the attempt to impose the current prevailing template of equality and discrimination on religious organisations is an erosion of religious liberty.’
Pray: that rapid social change would not alter religious practices that have been in place for many years. (Lk.1:50)
Methodist's challenged to take 'tough decisions'
In a report to the annual Methodist Conference, taking place this week in Southport, the Methodist General Secretary, the Rev Dr Martyn Atkins, spoke of tough decisions ahead and his belief that the Church must change to fulfil its calling in contemporary society. ‘As disciples of Jesus we are called to become the Church God wants us to be,’ said Dr Atkins. ‘This will involve making some tough decisions’ he said. ‘We don’t have all the resources we would like to have but God has not given up on us. We must work hard to become a Church that demonstrates our faith through a commitment to justice and serving our local, national and international communities.’ He continued, ‘A more sacrificial, strategic approach is needed. Our churches must not exist simply to perpetuate the status quo, but to provide a place where people can come to faith and be nurtured in their journey with Christ.’
Pray: for the Methodist Church and indeed the whole church as we face the challenge of the future. (2Sa.7:19)
Key Families Conference held
The World Congress of Families hosted a key conference on 29 June 2011. The conference, ‘The Future of the Family in Coalition Britain’, was held to help identify the causes of family breakdown in the UK and present possible solutions. The event was sponsored by Christian Concern and was opened by Bishop Michael Nazir Ali emphasising the need to restore the ‘public doctrine of marriage’, stating that the nuclear family was both a ‘natural’ and ‘normative’ form of family, not only beneficial to children but to society as a whole. A number of factors that have contributed to family breakdown were identified. These include ‘No-fault’ divorces, cohabitation, failure to recognise marriage as distinct in the tax system and sexualisation of teenagers. Stewart Jackson MP emphasised that public policy should strengthen as opposed to weaken marriage.
Pray: for political policy makers at all levels to recognise the importance of marriage in a stable, well-functioning society. (Heb.13:4)
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/social/key-families-conference-held